Printing machine with a type wheel fixing device

ABSTRACT

The printing machine includes a plurality of type wheels, each of which has a portion disposed on a printing bed, and has a gear atached thereto, rack bars each engaging the gears and having a setting portion disposed outside of the housing, each of the gears being engaged by a corresponding detent element which is yieldably loaded by a spring, and means for blocking the detent elements with respect to the type wheels during the transverse printing movement of a platen roller carriage, whereby the selected type numerals of the type wheels may be kept accurately aligned without being displaced by the considerable pressing force of the platen roller thereby to obtain accurate and beautiful prints on the printed materials, and also to obtain a correct and smooth selection of the type numerals to be printed.

I415] Sept. 4, 1973 1 PRINTING MACHINE WITH A TYPE WHEEL FIXING DEVICE [75] Inventor: Tetsuo Nakata,Sagamihara-shi,

Japan [73] Assignee: Janome Sewing Machine Co., Ltd.,

Tokyo, Japan [22] Filed: Nov. 26, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 202,517

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data 3,521,556 7/1970 Barbour [OI/I10 3,580,169 5/1971 Maul [OI/99 X 3,628,452 12/1971 Shaw lOl/9O Primary Examiner-Robert E. Pullfrey Assistant ExaminerEugene H. Eickholt AztorneyMichael S. Striker [57] ABSTRACT The printing machine includes a plurality of type wheels, each of which has a portion disposed on a printing bed, and has a gear atached thereto, rack bars each engaging the gears and having a setting portion disposed outside of the housing, each of the gears being engaged by a corresponding detent element which is yieldably loaded by a spring, and means for blocking the detent elements with respect to the type wheels during the transverse printing movement of a platen roller carriage, whereby the selected type numerals of the type wheels may be kept accurately aligned without being displaced by the considerable pressing force of the platen roller thereby to obtain accurate and beautiful prints on the printed materials, and also to obtain a correct and smooth selection of the type numerals to be printed.

9 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures PATENTEUSEP 41915 3355148 SHEEI 1 0F 3 INVENTOR 7': run, 041404 ATTORNEY PATENTEDSEP 4191s SHEEI 2 BF 3 INVENTOR Ten 0 a nun BY 9M! 1- 1/ 4"- ATTORNEY PAIENTEDSEP 4 ms 3,756; 148

sum 3 or 3 INVENTOR Tar S v 0 BY [um/- I- [/Zlw ATTORNEY PRINTING MACHINE WITH A TYPE WHEEL FIXING DEVICE BACKGROUND This invention relates to printing machines and more particularly to a type wheel fixing device for printing machines in which the type wheels bearing type numerals or characters on the periphery therof are fixedly detained prior to a printing operation and the selected type numerals may be correctly printed as they are each in registration. It has been customary to use comparatively small printing machines in commercial transactions so as to register and adjust the necessary deta. With use of such printing machines, the calculated sum of figures are selected on the printing machines by rotating the type wheels, and the sum, which is a combination of the type numerals, is printed on sales slips, cards or other printed materials. But in the printing operation, if the type wheels are not fixedly detailed, the type numerals will tend to be shifted under detained, considerably strong pressure of the platen roller and the consequent printed numerals will be not aligned and inaccurate. Such an irregular arrangement of the type numerals will much reduce the special advantage of the printing machines. On the other hand, the type numerals have to be easily and rapidly selected; if the selection of the type numerals is difficult and time consuming, it could not completely satisfy the purpose of the printing machines in registering and adjusting sales slips, cards or other printed materials in the commercial transactions. Generally, numbers of many orders, for example, figures of tens of thousands, or of hundreds of thousands could be registered and adjusted by the printing machines. However in selecting such numbers of many orders, the operators fingers or parts of the operators clothes are liable to touch the adjacently arranged operating portions for selecting the type numerals, and consequently the type numerals, even if they are easily and rapidly selected, will become disarranged when they are printed. It is desirable that the printing machines should be provided with easily and positively operated type wheels and that the type wheels should be normally held in position by yieldably arranged detent pieces, but they should be fixedly detained prior to a printing operation. However none of the conventional printing machines are satisfactory in these respects.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION merals, when they are each selected in the respective necessary orders, are arranged in alignment with each other. Then these aligned type numerals are instantly and fixedly detained in the selected position when the platen roller carriage starts to transversely move for a printing operation. Since the type numerals are arranged all in registration as above stated, a platen roller carried by the carriage will smoothly rotate over the type numerals and will be free by a special resistance from them, and also the type numerals will never be disarranged by the considerable amount of the printing pressure of the platen roller.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a printing machine in which the selectively arranged type numerals will not be disarranged or be out of order, even if the operator's fingers or parts of the operators clothes happen to touch the adjacently arranged type numerals selecting portions, or if some degree of shocks were given to the printing machine. Actually if the selected type numerals are easily disarranged or out of order, they have to be rearranged or put into order again. Such a rearrangement of the type numerals would be troublesome and time consuming. According to the present invention, the type numerals, after they were selected, are positively detained in the selected position and prevented from shifting or being irregular. But since they are detained by yieldable detaining pieces, they could be each brought into the selected position one after another. Such a way of yieldably detaining will give some resistance to the associated operating device. But in this invention such a resistance is changed to realise a very rhythmic selecting operation of the type numerals. Unless an unnecessarily strong force is applied to the type numerals, the selecting operation of the type numerals will be always smooth and accurate.

The further features and advantages will be apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention in reference to the attached drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the whole outside appearance of a printing machine embodying the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner mechanism of the printing machine with some parts being eliminated, but embodying the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the mechanism as shown in FIG. 2 with some parts being added and with some parts being eliminated.

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the mechanism shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS DETAIL EXPLANATION OF THE PRESENT INVENTION In reference to FIGS. 1 3, a printing bed 15 is mounted on a machine housing I in an opening 11 on the front part and transversely thereof. The top surface of the housing is downwardly sloping from the rear part to the front part, and accordingly the printing bed 15 is sloping on the housing. A panel 12 is provided on the housing rearwardly of the printing bed 15. On the printing bed there are provided a printing plate 17, date printing or type wheels 5, positioning pieces 17 for positioning printed materials on the printing bed, and an opening 16 through which a plurality of type wheels 5 bearing type numerals 52 therearound are partly disposed. There remain on both sides of the printing bed 15 elongated openings between the printing bed and the housing on the top surface thereof. As shown in FIG. 3 into the openings 1] dependent pieces 61 on both sides of a carriage 6 are inserted, and the carriage is movably held on the printing bed 15 by means ofrollers 62 attached to the respective depending pieces 61 and engaging both marginal side surfaces of the printing bed on the underside thereof. A platen roller 7 is rotatably supported by the carriage 6 so that it may effect printing on a printed material, such as sales slips placed on a predetermined position on the printing bed, from the printing plate 17, the date printing wheels and the type wheels 5 on which the printed material is placed, when the carriage is moved transversely of the printing bed.

For manually rotating the type wheels 5 to select any of the type numerals 52 on the periphery thereof for printing, gears 51 are provided. These gears are each attached to one side of the respective type wheels and rotatably arranged on a shaft 50 coaxially with the type wheels. The shaft 50 is transversely secured between a pair of spaced brackets 18 which are fixed in the housing 1 and fixedly connected by means of a pair of rods 18a. The gears 51 are respectively engaged by rack bars 2 which have racks each formed on the upper edge thereof. The rack bars 2 are as shown in FIG. 2 arranged parallel in a spaced relation with each other between the spaced brackets 18 and slidably guided on a comb shaped guide 23 which is fixedly provided under the rack bars on the spaced brackets 18 transversely thereof. The ends of the rack bars 2 except the central one are bent horizontally, and then bent upwardly to form upstanding portions 22 as illustrated in FIG. 2. Thus the upstanding portions of the rack bars are arranged in a properly and equal spaced from each other. The panel 12 is formed with slots 13 extending parallel equally spaced from each other, and through these slots the upstanding portions 22 of the rack bars 2 are protrude outside of the panel with the upper knob portions 21, as shown in FIG. 1. Just below the knob portions 21, there are provided shoulders on the respective upstanding portions 22 of the rack bars 2. Parts 2, 21, 22 are setting means for the type wheels 5.

In such a combination of the parts, the rack bars 2 are each moved slidingly by the operator holding the knobs 21 in the longitudinal direction at the restricted distance defined by the slots 13. Thus the type wheels 5 are rotated longitudinal by movement of the rack bars 2 to bring any of the desirable type numerals to the selected position.

As particularly shown in FIG. 2, flexible bands 24 for indicating the type numerals are each at one end thereof connected to the shoulders of the rack bars 2. The other end of the flexible bands are properly guided in the machine housing 1, through this is not shown. The bands 24 are each provided on one face thereof with indication numerals corresponding to the numerals 52 on each periphery of the type wheels 5. For properly guiding the numeral indication bands 24 the panel 12 is inclined at its forward end portion. The inclined surface of the panel 12 is formed with a series of windows 14 transversely of the panel to which each type numeral on the numeral indication bands 24 is set so that it may be observed from outside of the printing machine, since the flexible numeral indication bands 24 are guided in a synchronous relation with the rotation of the type wheels 5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 4, for positively positioning the type wheels 5 which are respectively rotated by the rack bars 2 through the gears 51, elongated detent elements 3 are arranged each perpendicular to the rotation axis of the gears 51 The detent elements 3 are spring biased towards the rotation axis of gears 51 so that the projecting ends 31 of the detent elements 3 may each engage the respective recesses of the gears at all times. The detent elements 3 can be guided in the longitudinal direction by a guide bar 35 which is fixedly provided between the spaced supporting brackets 18 transversely thereof and engages aligned recesses 33 formed on the rear ends of the detent elements, and the detents elements 3 are guided by a rod 19 for a distance predetermined by the slots 32 respectively formed on the detent elements 3, when the type wheels 5 are rotated to select the type numerals. The rod 19 is extended through the aligned slots 32 of the detent elements 3 and secured between the spaced brackets 18 in parallel with the guide piece 35. The springs 34 are arranged in the recesses 33 of the detent elements 3 between the guide bar 35 and the detent elements 3. the springs 34 exert a comparatively small force adapted to enable the detent elements 3 to yieldably arrest and detain the type wheels 5. Therefore, the type wheels 5 are allowed to rotate which under the pressure of the springs 34, and the rotated type wheels are resiliently detained in the respective selected position.

A U-shaped frame 4 is provided for fixedly detaining the type wheels 5 in the selected position. The U- shaped frame 4 carries a transverse shaft 40 between the opposite upstanding arms at the intermediate portion thereof. The transverse shaft 40 is pivotally supported at the both ends thereof on the spaced brackets 18 so that the U-shaped frame 4 may be swingable on the spaced brackets 18. The U-shaped frame 4 also has another transverse engaging shaft 42 fixedly supported between the upstanding arms at the upper part thereof. The transverse blocking rod 42 is adapted to bear on abutment projections 36 depending from the respective detent elements 3 and arranged in alignment as particularly illustrated in FIG. 3. A torsion spring 41 is at its central portion mounted on the pivotally supported transverse shaft 40 of the U-shaped frame 4. The torsion spring 41 is at one end anchored to a portion of the U-shaped frame 4 and at the other end bears on one of the connecting rods 18a connecting the spaced support brackets 18 so that the U-shaped frame 4 may be normally biased and turned in the counterclockwise direction as illustrated in FIG. 3, in which the transverse engaging shaft 42 is at a position illustrated in a full line, away from the aligned depending projections 36 of the detent elements 3.

On one side of the U-shaped frame 4, there is provided a double-arm control lever 44 which consists of a vertical base portion and upper and lower arm portions 46, 44a horizontally extending from the opposite ends of the vertical base portion in a crossed relation. The double-arm lever 44 is with the upper end of the vertical base portion pivotally mounted on a bearing portion (not shown) in the housing 1 by means of a shaft 45. The upper arm 46 extends towards the front of the housing 1 while the lower arm 440 extends to the intermediate point of the bottom yoke portion of the U-shaped frame 4 to engage one edge thereof as shown in FIG. 3. To the free end of the upper arm 46 of the double-arm lever 44 one end of a linkage rod 49 is adjustably connected, and the other end of the linkage rod is pivotally connecting to an feeler lever 47 which is provided opposite to the double-arm lever 44 and pivotably supported in the housing 1 where the platen roller carriage 6 is located when it is in an initial position. The feeler lever 47 is formed with an engaging nose 47a which is adapted to engage one side face of the wheel or roller 62 of the platen roller carriage 6 when the carriage is in the initial position, see FIG 4. A spring 48 is it one end connected to the free end of the upper arm 46 of the double-arm lever 44, and the other end of the spring 48 is anchored to a support (not shown) in the housing 1. The spring 48 is of a force stronger than the force of the torsion spring 41 which normally turns the U-shaped frame 4 in the counterclockwise direction on shaft 40 as illustrated in FIG. 3.

With such a combination of the constituent parts, the operation of the printing machine is as follows;

When the platen roller carriage 6 is in the initial position as shown in FIG. 1, the roller 62 with one side face thereof engages the engaging nose 47a of the feeler lever 47, and thus the feeler lever 47 is turned against the force of the strong biasing spring 48 around its pivot in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. 4 which shows the mechanism in a bottom plan view. Accordingly the double-arm lever 44 is also turned around the shaft 45 in the counterclockwise direction through the linking rod 49 as illustrated in the full line. Consequently the lower arm 44a of the double-arm lever 44 allows the U-shaped frame 4 to turn in the counterclockwise direction on the pivotally supported shaft 40 with the force of the torsion spring 41 to the position as shown in full lines from the position as shown in chain lines in FIG. 3, where the transversely disposed blocking rod or shaft 42 of the U- shaped frame 4 bears on the aligned depending abutment portions 36 of the detent elements 3. Thus the blocking rod 42 is moved away from the depending projections 36 of the detent elements 3.

By manually moving the setting knobs 21 of the rack bars 2 to the desired positions along the slots 13 in the panel 12, the type wheels 5 are rotated by the gears 51 engaging the respective racks of the setting bars 2. Since the gears 51 are respectively resiliently arrested the yieldable springs 34 and the detent elements 3, the projecting ends 31 of which engage the respective recesses of the detentgears 51, the type wheels 5 are positively and rhythmically rotated even angle distance corresponding to the type numerals 52 on the periphery of the type wheels 5, and correctly resiliently detained in the selected position with the selected type numerals 52 on the type wheels 5 being each located in the middle portion of the respective opening 16 and arranged in alignment.

When the selection of the type numerals 52 has been carried out, the platen roller carriage 6 is moved transversely of the printing bed from the initial position at one end of the printing bed to the second position at the other end of the printing bed so that the platen roller 7 may be rolled over the printing bed for effecting a printing operation. When the platen roller carriage 6 starts to move from the initial position as shown in FIG. 1, the wheel 62, which has been in engagement with the engaging nose 47a of the feeler lever 47, disengages the from the feeler lever, which is pulled by the force of spring 48 through the rod 49 and turned around the pivot in the clockwise direction from the position as shown in full lines, to the position as shown in imaginary lines, as illustrated in FIG. 4 which shows the mechanism in a bottom plan view. Simultaneously the double-arm control lever 44 is also turned in clockwise direction around the pivot shaft 45 from the position as shown in full lines to the position as shown in chain lines, as illustrated in FIG. 4. Consequently the lower arm 44a of the double-arm lever 44 turns the U- shaped frame 4 in the clockwise direction with a great force around the shaft 40 against the torsion spring 41 until the transversely disposed blocking rod 42 of the U-shaped frame 4 comes to bear on the aligned depending abutment projections 36 of the detent elements 3, from the position as shown in full line to the position as shown in chain lines, as illustrated in FIG. 3.

Thus the detent elements 3 are pressed by the strong spring 48 into the notches of the respective gears 51 of the type wheels 5 with a force stronger than the force of the springs 34, so that the type wheels 5 are fixed with respect to the pressure of the platen roller 7. Since the type wheels are blocked immediately after the platen roller carriage starts to move in a printing stroke the pressure of the platen roller 7 will not shift any of the type wheels 5 out of the selected position. Thus displacement of the type wheels 5 is prevented during printing operation of the printing machine, and accurate and beautiful prints are obtained. At the same time, the blocked gears 51 cannot be displaced by accidental operation of rack bars 2 by knobs 21 so that the selected positions of the type wheels 5 cannot be changed during the printing operation.

I claim:

1. Type wheel blocking device for a manual printing machine, comprising supporting means; a set of type wheel means having a series of types, respectively, and being mounted for angular movement on said supporting means; setting means for selectively turning and setting said type wheel means so that. an aligned row of set types represents information to be printed; carriage means mounted on said supporting means for movement in a printing stroke out of an initial position, said carriage means including a platen roller moving over said aligned row of set types during said printing stroke; a set of resilient detent means cooperating with said type wheel means, respectively, for yieldingly arresting said type wheel means in a plurality of angular positions during the setting of said type wheel means; blocking means having a blocking position engaging said resilient detent means, and an inoperative position spaced from said resilient detent means; biasing means urging said blocking means to said blocking position; and linkage means connecting said carriage means with said blocking means so that in said initial position of said carriage means said blocking means is held by said carriage means and linkage means in said inoperative position against the action of said biasing means whereby said type wheel means can be set, and so that during said printing stroke of said carriage means said blocking means is released for being held by said biasing means in said blocking position so that said type wheel means are blocked against displacement by said platen roller or by said setting means.

2. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said resilient detent means includes a dctent, and a detent spring urging said detent into yielding engagement with the respective type wheel means; wherein said biasing means includes a blocking spring having a greater force than said detent spring; and wherein said blocking means in said blocking position is pressed by said blocking spring against said detents.

3. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each type wheel means includes a type wheel having a series of types, and an arresting gear secured to said type wheel and resiliently engated by the correlated detent.

4. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said detents are arranged in a row and have first ends engaging said arresting gears, respectively, and second ends having registering recesses, respectively, forming a guideway; wherein said detent springs are located in said recesses, respectively; and comprising a guide bar secured to said supporting means and located in said guideway and being engaged by said detent springs.

5. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each detent means includes a detent and a detent spring urging said detent into yielding engagement with the respective type wheel means; wherein said detents have aligned abutment portions; wherein said blocking means are mounted on said supporting means for angular movement between said inoperative and blocking positions and include a blocking rod and a torsion spring urging said blocking means to said inoperative position and said blocking rod out of engagement with said abutment portions; and wherein in said blocking position said blocking rod is pressed by said biasing means against said abutment portions against the action of said torsion spring.

6. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 5, wherein blocking means includes a U-shaped frame mounted on said supporting means for angular movement and supporting said blocking rod, said frame being biased by said torsion spring, and a control lever biased by said biasing means for holding said frame in said blocking position.

7. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said linkage means includes a linkage rod connected at one end with said control lever and said biasing means, and a feeler lever mounted on the other end of said linkage rod for angular movement between a first position in which said biasing means is tensioned and said control lever is not pressed against said frame, and a second position in which said biasing means moves said control lever and said bail member with said blocking rod to said blocking position; and wherein said carriage means includes a portion for holding said feeler lever in said first position when said carriage means is in said initial position.

8. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said linkage means include a link biased by said biasing means, and a feeler lever connected with said supporting means and said link for angular movement between a first position in which said blocking means is in said inoperative position and a second position in which said blocking means is in said blocking position; and wherein said carriage means includes a portion for holding said feeler lever in said first position when said carriage means is in said initial position.

9. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 8,

wherein said portion of said carriage means is a wheel. Q! I. 

1. Type wheel blocking device for a manual printing machine, comprising supporting means; a set of type wheel means having a series of types, respectively, and being mounted for angular movement on said supporting means; setting means for selectively turning and setting said type wheel means so that an aligned row of set types represents information to be printed; carriage means mounted on said supporting means for movement in a printing stroke out of an initial position, said carriage means including a platen roller moving over said aligned row of set types during said printing stroke; a set of resilient detent means cooperating with said type wheel means, respectively, for yieldingly arresting said type wheel means in a plurality of angular positions during the setting of said type wheel means; blocking means having a blocking position engaging said resilient detent means, and an inoperative position spaced from said resilient detent means; biasing means urging said blocking means to said blocking position; and linkage means connecting said carriage means with said blocking means so that in said initial position of said carriage means said blocking means is held by said carriage means and linkage means in said inoperative position against the action of said biasing means whereby said type wheel means can be set, and so that during said printing stroke of said carriage means said blocking means is released for being held by said biasing means in said blocking position so that said type wheel means are blocked against displacement by said platen roller or by said setting means.
 2. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each said resilient detent means includes a detent, and a detent spring urging said detent into yielding engagement with the respective type wheel means; wherein said biasing means includes a blocking spring having a greater force than said detent spring; and wherein said blocking means in said blocking position is pressed by said blocking spring against said detents.
 3. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 2, wherein each type wheel means includes a type wheel having a series of types, and an arresting gear secured to said type wheel and resiliently engated by the correlated detent.
 4. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said detents are arranged in a row and have first ends engaging said arresting gears, respectively, and second ends having registering recesses, respectively, forming a guideway; wherein said detent springs are located in said recesses, respectively; and comprising a guide bar secured to said supporting means and located in said guideway and being engaged by said detent springs.
 5. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 1, wherein each detent means includes a detent and a detent spring urging said detent into yielding engagement with the respective type wheel means; wherein said detents have aligned abutment portions; wherein said blocking means are mounted on said supporting means for angular movement between said inoperative and blocking positions and include a blocking rod and a torsion spring urging said blocking means to said inoperative position and said blocking rod out of engagement with said abutment portions; and wherein in said blocking position said blocking rod is pressed by said biasing means against said abutment portions against the action of said torsion spring.
 6. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 5, wherein blocking means includes a U-shaped frame mounted on said supporting means for angular movement and supporting said blocking rod, said frame being biased by said torsion spring, and a control lever biased by said biasing means for holding said frame in said blocking position.
 7. TypE wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said linkage means includes a linkage rod connected at one end with said control lever and said biasing means, and a feeler lever mounted on the other end of said linkage rod for angular movement between a first position in which said biasing means is tensioned and said control lever is not pressed against said frame, and a second position in which said biasing means moves said control lever and said bail member with said blocking rod to said blocking position; and wherein said carriage means includes a portion for holding said feeler lever in said first position when said carriage means is in said initial position.
 8. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 5, wherein said linkage means include a link biased by said biasing means, and a feeler lever connected with said supporting means and said link for angular movement between a first position in which said blocking means is in said inoperative position and a second position in which said blocking means is in said blocking position; and wherein said carriage means includes a portion for holding said feeler lever in said first position when said carriage means is in said initial position.
 9. Type wheel blocking device as claimed in claim 8, wherein said portion of said carriage means is a wheel. 